Expandable thermoplastic polyurethane comprising blowing agent, wherein the Shore hardness of the thermoplastic polyurethane is from A 44 to A 84.

Expandable thermoplastic polyurethane comprising blowing agent, wherein the Shore hardness of the thermoplastic polyurethane is from A 44 to A 84.

A method for producing a prepolymer for the production of an integral polyurethane foam is provided. The prepolymer is or can be obtained by reaction of a composition that contains the following components: component A containing a polyoxymethylene-polyoxyalkylene block copolymer having a hydroxyl number of 20 mg KOH/g to 200 mg KOH/g as component Al, component B containing di- and/or polyisocyanates with an NCO content of 15 to 45 wt.-% relative to component B, 0.04 to 1.0 wt.-%, relative to the composition, a proton acid as component C, and optionally a component D that contains auxiliary agents, at a characteristic number of 450 to 850. The invention further relates to the prepolymer obtained by the method, to an integral polyurethane foam based on the prepolymer, and to the use thereof.

Described herein is a polyurethane foam prepared with certain polytetrahydrofurans and optional polyether polyols. The polyurethane foam is characterized by low hardness increase at low temperature as compared with conventional polyurethane foam, and is suitable for use in products which can be exposed to low temperature such as snow boots.

A curable composition is provided, comprising: (A) a binder composition; and (B) a polysiloxane resin comprising aromatic functional groups and terminal active hydrogen groups. The composition may be used to prepare articles of manufacture and coated articles, such as footwear components. The composition may additionally be used to mitigate dirt build-up on a substrate.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a polyurethane elastomer, said method comprising the step of reacting at least one isocyanate composition (ZI) and one polyol composition (ZP) comprising a poly-ε-caprolactone polyol and an α-hydro-ω-hydroxy-poly(oxytetramethylene) polyol to obtain an isocyanate-functional prepolymer and the step of reacting the prepolymer obtained as per step (i) with at least one chain extender (KV). The present invention further relates to a polyurethane elastomer obtained or obtainable according to a method of the invention and also to the method of using a polyurethane elastomer according to the invention or a polyurethane elastomer obtained or obtainable according to a method of the invention in the manufacture of a shaped article, especially a damping element, a shock absorber or a stop buffer or part of a shoe or of a shoe sole, for example part of an insert sole or of a midsole.

Foamed pellets contain a block copolymer. The block copolymer is obtained or obtainable by a process involving the reaction of an aromatic polyester (PE-1) with an isocyanate composition (IC), containing at least one diisocyanate, and with a polyol composition (PC). The polyol composition (PC) contains at least one aliphatic polyol (P1) having a number-average molecular weight ≥500 g/mol. A process can be used for the production of such foamed pellets. The foamed pellets can be used for the production of a molded body.

A polyurethane elastomer, which can be a foam, generated from (a) an organic diisocyanate, (b) a polyester resin, (c) a chain extender comprised of a polyhydric alcohol, (d) a crosslinker, (e) a plasticizer, (f) a surfactant, (g) a bio-additive, (h) a blowing agent, and (i) an optional dye; and optionally where the elastomer has, for example, a hardness value of, for example, from about 15 Asker C to about 60 Asker C, a tensile strength of from about 1 MPa to about 10 MPa, a resilience of from about 30 percent to about 60 percent, an elongation at break of from about 150 percent to about 700 percent, and a tear strength from about 2 Newtons/millimeters to about 4 Newtons/millimeters, and which elastomers can be selected for footwear.

A thermoplastic polyurethane resin elastomer is obtained by reacting an isocyanate compound (I) containing ≥90 mol % in total of an aliphatic and/or alicyclic isocyanate compound having two isocyanate groups, an aliphatic alcohol (II) having only a hydroxyl group as a functional group, and a polyol (III). The equivalent ratio of EIII:EI:EII is 1:2-6:1-5 with the proviso that 0.95≤(EI)/((EII)+(EIII))≤1.05, where EIII, EI, EII represent the hydroxyl equivalent, isocyanate equivalent, and hydroxyl equivalent of the polyol (III), isocyanate compound (I), and aliphatic alcohol (II), respectively. The aliphatic alcohol (II) has a Mn, which is a number average molecular weight determined from the hydroxyl value, of <300 and contains ≥90 mol % of a C12 or lower aliphatic diol. The polyol (III) has a Mn of 300-10,000 and contains ≥80 mol % of a copolymerized polycarbonate diol (IIIA) having a Mn of 500-5,000 and including repeating units (A) and (B) shown below:

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Expandable thermoplastic polyurethane comprising blowing agent, wherein the Shore hardness of the thermoplastic polyurethane is from A 44 to A 84.